Kristin Beal

Kristin Beal serves as the Placemaking and Special Projects Manager at Wichita State University (WSU) and is a guest lecturer in the Master of Arts Administration program within the WSU College of Fine Arts. She co-founded Harvester Arts in 2014, a nonprofit organization focused on fostering creative capacity through arts experimentation, public projects, and artist development. Her work emphasizes socially engaged, community-based art to drive civic engagement and critical thinking.

Beal holds a BFA in Drawing and Painting from Wichita State University and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, and her professional practice includes grant facilitation with entities like the Knight Foundation, Kansas Creative Arts & Industries Commission, and the NEA.

Her research interests center on creative placemaking, collaborative art practices, and the intersection of arts with community development. She leads Harvester Arts' initiatives such as the Gallery Place Project and Artist INC programs, which aim to build artistic capacity and equity in Wichita.

Beal’s organizational leadership at Harvester Arts includes restructuring efforts to ensure anti-racist practices and equitable processes. The organization partners with institutions like the Mid-America All-Indian Museum and the Knight Foundation to activate public spaces through art.